The Nebraska Tennis Complex will be among the top facilities in the nation.

Photo by Scott Bruhn/Nebraska Communications

Huskers Excited for New Tennis Complex

By NU Athletic Communications

| 06/09/2014

Anticipation is building in the Nebraska men's and women's tennis programs as progress is made on the new tennis complex that is expected to open for the outdoor season in 2015.

The $20.4 million Nebraska Soccer and Tennis Complex will be located on 28 acres owned by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln near the Bob Devaney Sports Center and the Hendricks Training Complex. When it is completed, the tennis and soccer facilities will rank among the elite in the Big Ten Conference and provide Husker student-athletes world-class training facilities near Nebraska's new Innovation Campus.

The new facilities, which are being funded with private donations, were approved by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents on July 18, 2013.

“We are certainly grateful for the support of the indoor and outdoor tennis facilities,” Nebraska Women’s Tennis Coach Scott Jacobson said. “Having a facility of this magnitude will enhance the opportunity to recruit top talent throughout the nation to this great institution.”

The Husker women have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in four of the past five seasons, including an NCAA Sweet 16 bid after winning a share of the Big Ten Conference title in 2013.

In addition to providing championship-caliber indoor and outdoor courts with the highest standards of lighting, the new facilities will feature dedicated locker rooms and an area for athletic medicine. In recent years, the Nebraska men's and women's tennis teams have competed indoors at the privately-owned Nebraska Tennis Center located several miles from campus, and outdoors on the NU Varsity Courts, located in the heart of campus on Vine Street.

The new complex will not only consolidate indoor and outdoor competition sites for the Huskers, it will also vastly enhance NU's training and recruiting, while providing fans with greater amenities to support the Big Red tennis teams in action.

“This is a dream come true for us to be able to conduct practices and host matches indoors and outdoors on our campus in the near future," Nebraska Men's Tennis Coach Kerry McDermott said. "This will create a better learning environment and will allow for more one-on-one time with our student-athletes."

McDermott's have consistently ranked among the top 75 programs in the nation over the past decade, including NCAA Tournament trips in 2010 and 2011.

"This no doubt will be a huge benefit to Nebraska tennis in the future, and we are grateful for this opportunity.”

Nebraska's new tennis facility will feature 12 outdoor courts with excellent lighting to accommodate championship play. The new facility will feature dedicated locker rooms and an athletic medicine area to provide a true home for the men's and women's tennis programs. The facilities will maximize training for Husker student-athletes and coaches, while enhancing the recruitment of future Huskers and providing greater fan amenities.

The new Husker tennis complex will feature six indoor courts along with dressing rooms, showers and team rooms for men's and women's tennis. Coaches and staff will have new office, meeting and dressing rooms.

The Nebraska soccer team will also be competing at the new complex. The Huskers, who have been traditionally strong in women's soccer since the mid-1990s, advanced to the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament.